Getting my D600, was a "monumental" event in my photography journey.
It's the latest IT camera, cheapest full frame, and 2nd best rated sensor (just a tad shy of the D800).
The D90 isn't a bad camera, but had its limitation in dynamic range and ISO performance. Auto-focus wasn't great too. So I was really looking forward to the D600, which came here to Jakarta at a great price, and no crazy queues like D800, so with my wife's blessings, I took the plunge.
External Bits - the good
1.Controls
I like having more controls on the outside.
Now, if I use the remote, there is a dial for it, rather than having to go through menus, and reset by itself.
The same dial allows one to also go to mirror lock-up, which minimizes camera shake even more - a feature that the D90 didn't have.
2.2 SD card slots
There's been a few times, where I take out the SD card from the D90, process it, and forget to put it back, and have those "D'oh! No memory Card" moments. A little frustrating to say the least.
Now with 2 SD card slots, I will always have 1 in there as backup, even if I forget to put it back.
3.File sizes
I used to fit about 1000 pictures (RAW) in 16 GB card. I fit 250 now. So picture size is about 4 times?
I havn't yet read the manual, so not sure if I'm comparing light for light.
Processing is a tiny bit longer, but my computer can handle it so far.
But nice to have a few more pixels to crop.
4.U1 and U2 settings.
Customizable settings. This was useful when I was shooting my son playing basketball. Aperture priority for normal shots, but a quick switch and I shot in my "sports" mode (min shutter speed of 1/500, aperture mode). Handy.
5.Clip to hold battery in place
When you open the battery cover, there is an additional little clip to hold the battery in place.
Neat.
6.Weight
Despite it being full frame and having all the latest whistles, it doesn't feel much heavier than the D90.
7.Lens compatibility
Ready to ditch my 3 crop sensor lenses (Nikon 18-200; Nikon 35mm f1.8 prime; Tokina 11-16mm); I find out that my 35mm f1.8 and Tokina 11-16mm (at 16mm) can still be used in full frame mode (and no vignetting)! Wow! That'll save me a bundle. (below is a sample of Tokina lens at 11mm (left) and 16mm (right). There is some distortion (not unexpected), but still usable - at least until I splurge for a full frame equivalent.
And I've found the 24-70 lens (which was a bit of a white elephant previously) - the perfect lens for full frame.
For my son's basketball, where the action is fast, it is just the perfect range for it, and everyday use.
External Bits - the bad
1.Battery Cover
This comes off too easily! Just opening it, caused it to come right off (25% of the time).
I charged my battery one night, and the next morning, realized the batter cover was missing! I searched high and low, at home, the car and the office. The official dealer didn't have the part yet (since the camera is new!), so was really kicking myself for losing it, and ruining the weather sealing.
Strangely, it appeared on my dining table a few days later (the housekeeper must have found it somewhere and put it there).
2.Eye piece
It must be me, but this dropped off only in my 2nd week of owning this.
Gone. I don't need it per se, but it is irritating. (I also lost the D90 piece, but only after 1.5 years).
Internal Bits - the good
1.ISO.
This is a picture shot at ISO 6400. Wow, it is at least as good as my D90 at ISO1600, possible ISO800. Who's afraid of the dark? :)
I shot my son's basketball game, and light not being great, to shoot at 1/500, 2.8, I had to boost the ISO to.... ISO12800! Impressed yet? Still usable at ISO12800 (to be used only in emergency). For the D90, ISO3200 was already rubbish (worse than below).
The ISO also goes down to 50. So the picture right on top is shot at ISO50. Nice!
2.Dynamic Range
I shot this around 2pm, blazing sun. Trishaw/Becak stopped under the tree, and I took a shot. When I looked at the LCD, I couldn't see anything in the becak, just black - due to the contrasts. Boy, was I surprised when I opened the file in Lightroom, and lo and behold - the details are all there!
The dynamic range is just fantastic.
3.Depth of Field
The advantage of the full frame is larger sensor, and more shallow depth of field.
But to be honest, I havn't shot a lot of wide open pictures (I have to use my 50 f1.4 more!), so at this moment, can't say that the difference has jumped up at me. So jury is still out on this.
(70mm, f2.8; ISO125; 1/200)
The D600 auto-focus rocks.
With the D90, even with spot focusing, it'll sometimes mis-focus.
Again, with my son's basketball game, fast moving, quite a few people running around, all the 3D tracking worked wonders, and I was able to get my son in focus most of the time.
Conclusion
To say the least, it's a fabulous camera.
I've yet to read through the manual, to fully learn what this can do. But so far, it can everything a little better. And am sure there's a lot of it I havn't even scratched.
But it is only a tool to use to take pictures. Sure it helps you do the job a little easier.
What really matters is that you keep using the tools you have. Learn its limitations, and shoot.
So my first take on the D600. Now to go on shooting!
Keep shooting.
